Bloodlust
by BlackFalcon002
Summary: Riku's been changed by those who reside in the darkness...and now he's tormented by the lust for a crimson liquid that is in the bodies of his two best friends...
1. Chapter 1

A.N. This is Chris, BlackFalcon002, whatever you wanna call me. Call me bitch, if that's your fancy. Don't worry, I'm used to it, so there. Anyway, this is an interesting fic that I pulled out of the incessantly raving mass that I proudly call my mind. I'm not so sure about it in this case, though…so review if you think I should just give it up. And it gets much more angsty and suicidal the more you read it.

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Darkness. That seething infinity of ebony oblivion. Is that what you're afraid of? The dark? Because, really, that's not what you should be worried about. Darkness is merely the lack of light. Not really anything to panic about. Because there are _things _in the dark. Things that can destroy you from the outside. Things that can destroy you from the inside. Things that can destroy both at the same time. And believe me, I should know. I've been to the darkness twice.

And I met those things that live in the darkness. The things you _should _be scared of. And now you have reason to be scared of me.

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The blade sliced across my wrist, deeper than I should have gone. I hissed through my teeth, tilting my arm so that the blood ran in a vermillion stream into the glass vial situated on the floor. The translucent crystal beaker turned crimson as the flow began to taper off. I watched it hungrily, marveling every drop, until it finally stopped.

Grabbing the roll of bandages from where they were placed next to me where I was kneeling on the floor, I wrapped it around my wrist tightly. The white cloth covered not only the current rip in my ivory skin, but also the past mistakes etched into my flesh, standing out, pearly white and jagged.

Stoppering the vial, I placed it on the table, looking at it. I needed to do this, but I had no idea how long I could keep it up until it wasn't enough. Until they found out.

I sighed, turning away from the crimson temptress with more than just a little effort. And came face-to-face with _him. _The one who scarred me. The first slash crossing my wrist, now buried under too many to tell them apart, that slash across the vein…and the scar on my neck—all from him. His one visible steely blue eye pierced me. His words reverberated in my mind, never reaching my ears. It wasn't real, I knew. It was just his icon, his way of communicating with his unwilling apprentice. After all, he was already dead.

"Well, well, well," he sneered. "Trying to save yourself? It's not going to work, you know. They'll find out. And can you guess what they're going to do?"

"Shut up and go away!" I snapped. "You died, your tombstone is cracked. Stop being bitchy and leave me alone."

"They're going to be afraid of you."

"They're my friends. They'd never be….well…"

"Don't kid yourself. They may be your friends, but are you theirs? You could easily kill them all, and the monster you are now hunts them. The _thing _you have become deserves to be feared. Oh, yes, they'd be afraid of you. And you know what happens to those who are feared."

I didn't say anything but a pointed, "You're _dead," _because I did. I knew what happened to those who were feared. And I'm sure _he _knew that I did, and behind that curtain of silver hair his eyes were flashing in anticipation of my misery and pain.

"They…will…_hate…_you," he hissed. "People don't like to be afraid. They don't want to continue living in constant fear, so they will eliminate the source of their fright. That's why," he murmured, leaning in, "that bastard set that…_thing _on me. He killed me. He was _afraid _of me."

"Who, Axel? No. He set 'that thing' on you because you're an arrogant prick. Now go away."

"I can't go away," he laughed silkily, "because I'm part of you now."

"No!" I snarled. "You are in no way a part of me!"

"Yes, because I am—"

"No! You're dead!" I yelled, burying my head in my hands. "You're dead! You shouldn't be here, you belong in Hell with your friends!"

He didn't answer, but the two slashed punctures in my neck erupted in pain. I gasped, grabbing my neck reflexively.

Bastard. That's exactly what he wanted me to do. As soon as my fingers brushed against the skin, I became acutely aware of the blood pounding through my body. It pulsed rhythmically beneath my fingers. I swallowed hard, and saw myself in my mind's eye. What I could do now…because I wasn't human.

I saw myself leaping out the window, finding myself approaching someone from behind, grabbing their hair, burying my fangs in their neck, taking in the sweet scent of blood as it overflows in my mouth, spilling over my lips and down my throat—

"NO!"

The room echoed with the piercing scream, and it took me a couple seconds before I realized that it had been me that screamed. I stared up, sweat rolling from my skin. _He _was gone, and I breathed a sigh of relief. But is cold chuckle reverberated through the room, and I shivered.

"Bastard," I muttered sourly, drawing in a shaky breath. My neck flared in quiet pain again. Much more careful this time around, I felt my neck. The skin was torn, stinging in the open air, and I realized that my nails had gouged into my own flesh. I stared at my hand, the blood on my fingers. And fear curled and settled in my stomach as I watched the russet liquid slide down my arm, tinting the white bandages a deep crimson.

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A.N. Whoohoo! Where do you think I'm taking this one, hmm? Well, it's no good to guess, 'cuz I'm not sure myself. I have a couple different options, and I think I'm going to go with…yeah, that sounds good. Mheheheh. I hope that made you curious. Probably not, but it's a noob's hope. Anyhoo, review and tell me if it's worth continuing, 'cuz I'm unsure myself. It's my first fic like this, so…yeah. And if you can't tell who _he _is…well, you're stinky. Nyeah. You'll find out later, anyway.


	2. Chapter 2

Hello, and welcome to the second chapter of Bloodlust. If you're reading this…I love you! If not…then I shouldn't say anything. You won't get the message! Anyway, I hope you're enjoying this, 'cuz I am. Kind of. If people would REVIEW more, I would probably get more into it. Sigh…

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Kairi and Sora walked down the street together, fingers entwined. They laughed together, their voices seeming distant and far away from where I sat watching them. Sora pulled her in, and they kissed. From the second story window, I could clearly see the happiness on their faces, a joy that only showed when they were with one another. I sighed and withdrew from my window into my dark room.

Ten minutes later, the doorbell rang. I paused for a second, wndering if they had spent ten minutes making out. It seemed likely.

As I opened the door, Kairi's ring caught the light. I flinched as the reflecting light ripped my eyes, blinding me. The two of them didn't notice my discomfort, too busy looking at each other lovingly.

"Are you two going to say something, or did you get the wrong address?" I asked, irritable and impatient. They blinked at me, smiling blankly.

"We're going downtown," Sora said, wrapping his arm around Kairi's waist. She laughed and put her hand on his. I was barely able to resist the urge to gag. "Wanna come?" he finished.

"Not if you two keep acting like that," I said seriously, grabbing my leather jacket off of its hook. When I turned back, they had their tongues in each other's mouths, kissing like there was no tomorrow. Scowling, I walked around them. Behind me, I heard their laughter, and I sank deeper into my loneliness.

I slouched along, with the two of them bouncing around me like eager little puppies. I had to make an effort to keep from yelling, "Sit!" at them in frustration.

The streets were quiet and empty, and we just walked around, talking about nothing in particular. Actually, I didn't talk at all. It's kind of my policy, after spending so much time around jerkoffs in the dark. Don't speak until spoken to, or else the consequences are immediate, dire, and painful. I knew that it applied here, too. If I said anything, I would just be ignored, as usual.

"Hey guys!" Kairi chirruped happily, "Let's go to—"

I never heard what she wanted to do, because at that moment her foot caught on something, and with a yelp she pitched forward. Without thinking, I caught her.

She said something, but I didn't hear it. Instead, I heard _his _voice hissing in my ear, "You're not human. She is. Do the math, or else let yourself become the pursued."

I shoved Kairi's chin up, sinking my fangs deep into her slim neck. She choked, spray-painting my hair crimson, but I didn't care, ignoring it, drinking in her blood greedily as my mind went into a tailspin. She was human, the hunted, and I'm the hunter, and Sora's here, too, pulling me off the dead girl and I spin, cracking his neck with my arm as easily as snapping a twig, and I see his eyes as he falls, rolled back and staring in surprise and anger, fright and _hate—_

"_NO!" _I screamed, jerking my hands away. Kairi flinched back in surprise, eyes wide. That look. Fear. I couldn't stand it, not from my friends, and with a lurch I take off, running as fast as I could. Now they've seen, I'm sure, the thing that resides in me, the bloodlusting beast that I really am.

I didn't stop running until I got back to my house, breathing hard. I took the stairs two at a time, nearly killing myself as I tipped on the last step, sprawling in the hallway. A sob rose in my throat as I lunged up again, hurtling myself into my parent's room. They both worked, and I knew that neither one was going to be home any time soon.

The cabinet was locked, but that presented no problem for me, being a Keyblade wielder. But not Master, no. Still, it was useful for unlocking things.

The gun was where I knew it would be, nestled in soft cloths. My dad kept it carefully oiled and primed in case he needed it. And it wasn't one of those pissy little six-shot pistols. This was something you'd expect to see with a cop or FBI agent.

I returned to my own room, comforted by how little light was able to creep in. My eyes fell on the still-full glass beaker of my own blood, and my gaze narrowed.

"That's what you want, isn't it," I snarled to _him. _Blood spattered the wall as I sliced open my wrist deeply, licking up the blood that seeped out. Without hesitation, I kept going, not even waiting for the flow of blood to stop. One, two, dozens of new cuts scored in my flesh, and vermillion streaked my skin, striping it darkly. I yelled, throwing the blade hard. It whistled through the air, sending a circular wave of blood spiraling though the room. Bandages, cut by the sharp edge of the ivory wing, fluttered to the ground, red flowers blooming on the white field.

The gun clisked as I flicked the safety off.

"Are you happy now?" I yelled. "I'm going to die, does that make you happy?" For once, he didn't answer, but I knew he was watching. Waiting.

The gun was icy cold against my temple, the barrel parting my long hair delicately. I smiled. They couldn't fear me now.

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Kairi gave chase as Riku ran off.

"Kairi!" Sora yelled, and she could hear the confusion and concern in the voice of her fiancée. She ignored it, focusing on her target's receding back. From his direction, she guessed that he was going back to his house.

Soon, he was out of sight, far faster than she. Still, Kairi kept running, worried. There had been something about the way he had screamed, and after he caught her…it as like he had become a different person. His expression had changed….but mostly it had been his eyes. The usually bright seagreen eyes had been stained a cold red, like crimson steel. It had given her the creeps. But then he had snapped out of—_whatever _it had been, and all she could see in his eyes was bottomless dread.

Finally, she arrived at his house. The front door was ajar, and she jogged in. As she did, she heard a shout and a loud thunk. She sprinted up the stairs, hearing Riku's words.

"Are you happy now? I'm going to die, does that make you happy?" he yelled, and a wave of helplessness swept through Kairi's body. She sprinted up the stairs, hearing Riku's words.

Bursting through the door, she saw Riku, back to her, holding a serious-looking black gun. She screamed, sprinting into the room, and leaping on him in an attempt at a flying tackle.

The gun hit the wall, and Kairi sat on him, glaring at him.

"What were you _thinking?" _she screeched. "God, if you want to kill yourself, just talk to us and—" her eyes landed on his mutilated arms and she gasped in horror.

"The _fuck?" _she shrieked. Riku just looked away, fueling her rage even further. Drawing back a fist, she slammed it as hard as she could into his stomach. He didn't even make a sound, just flinching slightly. She rubbed her knuckles ruefully, bruised from the blow to his muscle-hardened stomach.

He shoved her off, standing up. She leaped for the gun, pulling it away before he had the chance to pick it up. His outstretched hand hit the wall instead, and he turned to glare at her.

"Kairi," he said gently, "You don't understand."

"Bullshit! I'm trying to protect you, keeping you from killing yourself, you asshole! What the _fuck _were you thinking?"

"Kairi, I'm the one trying to protect _you," _he said softly, reaching for the weapon in her hand. She yanked it away from him.

"By killing yourself?"

"Yes."

Though not wanting to keep him continuing with these thought, his words made her curious. "What do you mean?" she asked slowly.

He winced, as though hoping she wouldn't ask precisely that question. "I…" he said finally, staring at the floor," I want to die while you still think of me as human."

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I chose my words carefully, not wanting to give too much away. Unfortunately, I had forgotten how perceptive she was.

"Are you telling me you're not?"

"No!" I said, far too quickly. Her gaze narrowed.

"Having fun?" said that sibilant, all-too-familiar voice. _He _materialized, barely visible in the nearly pitch-black room, and only by his pale skin and hair.

"What do _you _want?" I snapped.

"I want to help you!" said Kairi, getting angry again. I looked at her, then back at him.

"I'm going to show her who…or rather, _what _you really are."

"How are you going to do that?" I snarled, getting pissed.

"Who are you talking to?" Kairi asked, following my gaze. Her stare seemed to slide right over him, not even seeing him at all.

"She…can't see you, can she," I said. He smiled in confirmation, showing white fangs that glistened with invisible light. "No," he conceded, "No, she can't."

"What the _hell?" _she said, waving her hands in the general direction of where I was looking, her fingertips missing his face by inches.

"Answer my question already," I said impatiently.

"My, my. A quick temper is not good for something like you. You may want to get professional help with that," he said smugly.

"Just answer my question already, you son of a bitch!" I snarled.

"Riku!" said Kairi, "Stop it, you're scaring me!" Her words made me freeze, panic flashing across my face.

"Funny thing about us," _he _said, making me look at him again. "You know we can fly, right?" With a rustle, wings blacker than ebony, dark even in the absence of light, unfurled from his back, blending in with his black leather cloak.

"You get them, too," he said, "and that's when the shit really hits the fan…for you and your, ah, _friends._" He disappeared, and a second later I was on my knees in agony. My back felt like it was being ripped open, torn apart by thousands of tiny blades. A gasp of pain rose in my throat, and through the pounding of blood in my ears, I could hear Kairi's voice.

"What? Riku, what's wrong?"

"N-no," I choked out, trying to push her away, but I doubled over, yelling in pain as the pain tripled, and with a tearing sound and the feeling of having all the flesh on my back ripped off, I flared my wings.

I heard Kairi's scream, loud and clear. Still on my knees with my forehead touching the floor, I struggled to breathe as the pain faded slowly. Raising my head, I met Kairi's gaze squarely. Her eyes were filled with tears, dread emanating from her so powerfully it was palpable.

"R-Riku…" she sobbed. "What are you?"

Her words stabbed into me with a cruelty deeper than any blade could have pulled off. The gun lay forgotten by her side. I wanted to do it, but I wouldn't let myself, in case it caused her to become even more afraid, and causing me even more pain. I closed my eyes, looking away as tears of my own sprung up, stinging and hot.

I heard her clamber to her feet, and I waited for her to leave. But she didn't. Instead, a soft hand touched my wing, full of uncertainty. I still didn't have much control over the ebony obscenities, and they flinched. Still, the hand did not move. I could feel each finger with acute awareness.

"I-I'm sorry…for asking…that," she said.

"No…you're right," I whispered. "I'm not human. I don't know what I am. Who I am."

The hand pressed down, slightly but firmly, with more self-control than before. "Well…I still shouldn't have…said that."

I shook my head, looking up at her sadly. "No. You can say or do whatever you want to me. I deserve it all. I'm not like you and Sora anymore. I'm no better than a dog that's been dumped on the side of the road. A feral stray."

"That's not true—" she protested, but I interrupted her. "I crave _blood, _Kairi. More than anything else in the world." Pointing at my table, I said softly, "Just look."

She looked. "Is that…blood?"

"Yes."

"Whose?" The question was thrown out cautiously, as if she weren't sure that she really wanted to know the answer.

"Mine."

Her gaze flickered, landing on my slashed wrists. I sighed, picking up the cut bandages, wiping the blood away carefully, still kneeling on the floor. I figured she'd be more comfortable if I wasn't towering over her.

"I guess…you can call me a vampire," I said, proffering my wrists. "And, as opposed to drinking blood from innocent people, I…take my own."

She dropped to one knee, grabbing my wrists, gasping at the criss-crossing scars, white against my pale skin. "Holy shit," she breathed, staring. "A-and you've been doing this how long?"

"Over three years now. Ever since…" I trailed off. She quirked an eyebrow at me. "Ever since..?" she prompted, dropping my hands.

"Ever since Castle Oblivion."

"Castle Oblivion? But you—"

"I met the Nobodies in that castle, Kairi. One of which was Number VI, or Zexion. He…he was a vampire. They tried to use me as their lapdog, and he eventually turned me into _this. _My replica ended up killing him," I finished, irritated. "Wish I could've done that bastard in myself, but…" I shrugged. "At least it _looked _like me."

"Is that who you were talking to? But he's _dead."_

"Yeah. I know. I don't understand it myself. He was the one who forced _these _out," I jabbed my thumb at my obsidian wings, "and he's been trying to convince me that if you found out…that you'd hate me."

"Is that why you said you'd rather die while I still thought of you as human?"

I hung my head, long silver hair brushing the blood-spattered carpet. "Yes," I admitted. "It was the only thing I was thinking about at that point."

"But if you had told us—"

"What? You could have helped me?" I laughed miserably. "What would you have done? Told me you weren't afraid? I wouldn't have believed you. And you can't supply me with blood. I can only take it from myself. I wouldn't think about taking it from either of you. Although, honestly," I said, glancing at her, "Would you really have offered?"

I shuddered as a wave of bloodlust swept through me. Kairi stared, trying hard to keep the fear from her face.

"Sorry," I said sadly, "But you'd better leave."

"Why?"

"So I don't drink any of your blood by accident if I go crazy with hunger. I can only drink mine. It's something I decided a long time ago, and I'm sticking to it."

"No, I don't…I _won't _leave you here by yourself," she said stubbornly, grabbing my hand and attempting to pull me to my feet. I, however, resisted her efforts. "What's up with you?" she snapped, frustration plain in her voice.

"You're nervous enough as it is. I'm sure you'll be much more comfortable when I'm standing a foot and a half taller than you," I said sarcastically. "But I won't look down on humans. To do that would be to forget what it was to be human myself."

"Oh, please!" she said. "You may not be exactly _human, _but you're still a person. You're still my friend," she said quietly, tears brimming in her eyes.

"You want to be friends with _this? _This _thing _I've become?" I opened my mouth, and my fangs shone. She flinched involuntarily, and I laughed hollowly.

"Don't worry, Kairi," I said gently. "Soon you won't have to be scared of me anymore. I know that eventually my own blood won't be enough to satisfy me anymore. And the last thing I want is for you or Sora to be near me when I lose whatever human part of my mind still remains. So I'm going to leave. Tonight. And you'll never see me again, I promise."

"No…" she breathed, panic on her features. I turned my back to avoid seeing it.

"You don't have to worry. I'll be far away, and I'll never touch you. Please, I need to do this. If I hurt either of you…" my voice trailed off again. "Do you understand? I have to do this."

"No! I don't understand!" she yelled, reaching out and yanking Way to the Dawn from the wall with a quick wrench. She raised it, only showing a brief second of hesitation.

"What are you—" my words were cut off as the ivory wing carved across the skin on the side of her neck. She yelped in pain, dropping the heavy blade. I leaped up despite myself. My wings obediently folded themselves, becoming all but invisible against the leather jacket they had torn through.

Kairi smiled at me, resolve set in her face. "Here. This is for you, so you won't leave. I can't let you leave. Take it."

I inspected the cut, trying not to breathe in the scent of her blood. It was a shallow cut, and would probably stop bleeding in a minute.

"N-no," I said, stepping back, shaking my head violently. Her gaze narrowed. "Take. It," she said, getting mad. "This is from your friend. And when you turn away your friends, you're about as far away from human as you can get, whether or not you have wings."

I, too, hesitated, but the steely look in her eyes forbade any further argument. I gave in, stepping forward cautiously. Her throat convulsed.

"If I feel even the tiniest prick from one of your fangs," she warned, "I'll fucking kill you."

"You'll have to beat me to it," I retorted.

"Good."

With a resigned sigh, I leaned my head down, brushing a few strands of red hair out of the way. I licked her neck, feeling her shiver. I waited for a second, but she just whispered, "I'm fine."

The taste of her blood was better, much sweeter and more pure than my own. I knew that she was afraid. But if she was willing to do this for me, then I was going to have to earn her trust.

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A.N. Yaay! Another chapter done! But where's Sora, you're wondering? Well, you'll just have to wait until the next chapter to find out. Anyhoo, review, please, it makes me feel better about myself. Not an easy accomplishment, but you can so it with a click of a button and three seconds' worth of typing. And flame as you please, I honestly want to know how my writing is.


	3. Chapter 3

A new chapter. Um…yes. A new chapter…WHOOHOO! Okay. That's better. I'm hyper again. Well, yes, this is the third chapter. Fear it, for it is…holy? I dunno. Anyway, read and please tell me how it is. I'd really like to know. Thanks! PS this is still Chris. Mwahahhahahaha!

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Sora stood for a few minutes, completely baffled. What the hell had happened? He had been bouncing ahead of the other two, when he heard Kairi start to ask a question, then a yelp, and before he could even turn around, he heard a yell from Riku. When he was finally able to see what was going on, Riku had taken off, and Kairi had followed. Sora just watched them go in confusion.

After about ten minutes of wondering what was going on, Sora began to jog back towards Riku's house. Considering that it was Riku who had run first it seemed like the logical thing to check at his house.

It didn't take too long. The door was open, and Sora let himself in. Upstairs, he could hear muffled conversation. The words were too distorted to hear clearly what they were talking about, but it was obvious enough that it was Kairi and Riku talking.

Ascending the stairs quietly, he walked to the door. Through the small crack between the door and the frame, he caught sight of a scene that he had hoped and never expecting.

Kairi was standing there, and Riku's head was buried in her neck. He was moving continuously and rhythmically, a repeating action, and Sora became enraged.

He wasn't aware that he was moving until Oblivion slammed into Riku's side. The silverhair hit the wall hard, sliding down to his knees. His hand was clasped to his side where the sharp edges of the blade had gouged him.

"Riku!" yelled Kairi, taking a step towards him. But Sora grabbed her arm, puling her to face him roughly.

"What the _hell _are you doing?" he yelled in her face, shaking her. She cried out, "No, Sora! You don't understand!"

"What's there _not _to understand? You were just standing there…just _letting _him suck on your neck!"

"No, you don't—"

"Shut up!" he yelled, tears brimming in his eyes, raising a hand. But he never got to finish. Instead, he was sent flying as Riku barreled into him. The Keyblade Master landed on the floor, and Riku snarled, "She had nothing to do with this!"

Sora looked at his fiancée, who had started crying. He looked back at Riku. "Bullshit! She wasn't doing a fucking thing to stop you!"

"No!" Kairi yelled, "I didn't—"

"You didn't do a goddamn thing, you—"

"Because I threatened her."

Both Sora and Kairi looked over. Riku held up the gun. "I threatened to kill her if she screamed or said anything."

"No way…" Sora breathed, amazed, an emotion that quickly turned into fury. "You fucking _bastard!" _he yelled, and the Keyblade smashed into Riku's stomach hard. The gun skittered over the ground as Riku gasped, doubling over, and Sora swung again, connecting with the silverhair's face.

'When did he get that..?" Kairi thought as she cried out to Sora. "I didn't even see him _move…" _Rushing forward, she tried to get between them, but Riku pushed her aside. "I deserve this," he hissed.

"No!" Kairi whimpered as Riku hit the floor hard. "Why won't Sora see that Riku's hurt? Why can't he see what's happened? He nearly killed himself, and now he's doing this, just to save our relationship…" The answer hit her suddenly, like a blast of cold air.

"He's hiding it!" she realized, watching the silverhair closely. He _was _hiding it, tucking his arms into his body like he was hurting, but in reality was keeping his wounds from catching Sora's eye. And he was taking advantage of the dark room to hide both the blood and his new wings, which were nearly invisible against the jacket in the absence of light. And the dark streaks of blood against his light skin could be passed off, in the dark, at least, as the shredded jacket sleeves. Even she couldn't tell the difference.

Kairi ran to the door, searching desperately, and finally managing to flick on the lights. The dark room was suddenly turned bright, all of the black turning a vivid crimson, what could have passed for shadow before now was clearly revealed to be blood from cuts, slashes, and who knew what else.

Sora paused, looking at Kairi, scanning the room, then looking quickly back at Riku. The Keyblade thunked into the floor, and its master quickly following suit, sitting heavily, staring at the bloody heap that had been his best friend. Riku, breathing heavily, tried to sit up, gazing miserably at Sora, his back pressed firmly into the wall to hide the black wings flattened against his back.

"What happened to you?" Sora asked, staring at Riku's arms in horror.

"Wait till he sees the _wings,' _thought Kairi, while at the same time saying to Sora, "He did that to himself."

"Sora's eyes clouded over. "You idiot," he snapped. "Just because you're emo and suicidal doesn't mean you can slice yourself to pieces and threaten people."

"He didn't threaten me at all!" Kairi protested, and Riku winced at the bad way she had worded that sentence. Sora's gaze narrowed. "It's…well…it's a long story.," she finished lamely. Sora crossed his arms. "Try me."

"No," said Riku. Sora glared at him. "What the hell do you mean, _no?"_

"I mean no," said the older teen, staring at Sora with an empty expression. "Kairi knows the story already, she'll tell you after I leave."

"Aw, fuck _that," _Sora snapped. "I want to hear this from you, _now."_

"No," Riku repeated stubbornly, staggering to his feet. Blood snaked down his pale skin, the ripped jacket hanging off of his broken and torn body. "I don't want you to hate me before you have to. Before I go."

"Believe me, you asshole, I can't hate you any more than I do right now," Sora said darkly. Riku laughed dryly. "You really think so?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Well, you're in for a surprise."

"Bite me!"

Riku shuddered. "Don't tell me to do that. Please." He walked so that his back was to the wall the whole time, ignoring the fuming brunette, trying to hide the obsidian wings, but he didn't get very far.

"Oh, no you _don't!" _Sora yelled. Oblivion hit Riku's side again, making him stumble and turn away. Kairi diverted his attention. "No! Don't you—"

"Shut up!"

Riku snarled, a raging, bestial growl that made the hairs on the back of their necks stand up. He turned slowly, eyes with dilated pupils, eyes that were more animal than human, eyes that had turned a bright metallic crimson, stared at Sora in fury. His wings flared, and his long ivory fangs glistened.

"Don't talk to her like that!" he hissed menacingly, voice layered with the same animal tones that had been in his roar, distorting his words harshly.

Sora's yell of panic flooded the room, and he scrambled back, utter horror plainly etched on his features. Riku's lips were drawn back, exposing the icy, azor0sharp teeth. Kairi sprinted across the room, snatching up the vermillion vial from the table. Sora's voice half-whispered, half-sobbed the words, breath shuddering in his throat behind her.

"K-Kairi…" he stuttered, frozen. "wh-what is…that?"

The girl saw the look of hurt flash across Riku's demonic features, and the immense pain she knew he must be feeling made her heart ache. But it didn't last long. As Riku's control on his mind slipped, the pain turned to anger.

"That?" he snapped. "You're referring to me as _that?"_

Sora's eyes, if possible, grew wider. Kairi held her breath, hoping that Sora had the sense not to even think about saying anything else.

"You've known me for what—seventeen years? We've been best friends for seventeen years, and now you're calling me _that?"_

Sora babbled, petrified with fury. "B-but you're n-not human…Y-you can't be…"

Riku fixed him with a piercing glare. "You shouldn't be either!" he shrieked, lunging forward. But he never reached Sora. Instead, Kairi was there, ramming the crystal beaker between his teeth. Riku bit down instinctively, and the glass shattered in his jaws. The blood that it held flew everywhere, and most of it managed to go down his throat. He coughed, gagging and sending glass pinging off the walls. He stared horrified at Kairi and Sora, then turned and bit into his arm as hard as he could.

Kairi held Sora, feeling the terror coming from him. She knew how he felt. She had felt the same way. But Riku hadn't attacked her…so for him, it had been worse.

Riku turned back to them after a while, blood trailing down his chin. He wiped it away, looking at them sadly with his seagreen eyes. "You see, Kairi?" he said. "This is why you should have just let me kill myself. To save you all from experiencing this pain."

"Yeah, blame her!" Sora said, voice trembling. "You attacked us, and it's not Kairi's damn fault that you did!"

"I know," Riku replied, hanging his head. "I understand."

"I don't believe this!" sputtered the Keyblade master, finding his courage now that his 'friend' wasn't trying to eat him. "You spent all this time around us as that…that _thing, _knowing that at any second you would just go crazy and rip our throats open!" He looked at Kairi as though suddenly remembering something. "You…you did go crazy, even before I got here! You took blood from her, didn't you!"

"Yes," Riku admitted. "I did."

"But I—" Kairi began, but Sora wouldn't let her finish. "And you just thought we'd forgive you if we ever found out?"

"No. I didn't. That's why I never told you." He sank to his knees, bowing his head. "But _please, _I don't want you to hate me. I'm still your friend, I'm still _me. _You don't need to be scared of me—"

"Like _hell _we don't!" said Sora, laughing bitterly. "You might go crazy and attack us again."

"Not if you don't attack me first."

"What?" asked Sora, puzzled. Riku sighed. "I was doing fine, just taking my own blood. And then you came and started draining me by making me bleed so heavily, meaning that I had to get more. That's when I lost control."

"Stop putting the blame on other people!" Sora snapped.

"I'm not!"

"Yes, you are! Just because you don't—you know what? Forget it. Just…leave. Go away. Don't _ever_ come back."

"Sora!" Kairi blurted "Stop that! You're talking to him like he's some king of animal!"

"He _is, _Kairi!" Sora yelled. "He is an animal, a beast that could turn on us at any moment! We aren't safe with him, he's not safe to be around! We don't know what he's capable of! I don't even know who he is anymore!"

Kairi stepped back from him, a mixture of anger and fear on her face. She had never seen Sora so worked up, so cruel…she was about to give an argument, but a loud crack made them both look away from each other.

They turned in time to see Riku hurl himself at the glass window again, this time shattering it and launching him out. Kairi screamed, and they both ran to the broken window. Glass rained down on the ground like crystal rain, tinkling as it hit the ground below. As for Riku, he was about halfway down before his wings unfurled.

He beat them, struggling to rise into the air. Kairi called out his name, a plea for him to return, but he just turned with some difficulty towards them, rising and falling with each beat of the ebony wings.

"It's all right now, Sora," he called. "You won't see me again. I swear. But if you ever need me…just call. You'll know where I am."

"Go away!" Sora yelled, just as Kairi yelled, "Riku! Come back!"

But he just disappeared into the sky, slipping away, and they both watched the clouds, both anxious. One hoping to see, one wishing he was blind, so as to never see again what he dreaded the most.

His own best friend. Now who he considered his worst enemy.

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A.N Woot! That was emo. And I apologize for making Sora such an ass, but imagine if your best friend who you had known forever suddenly grew wings and tried to bite your head off. Still, I know he's not that mean...but it has been three years. And no, this is not a RikuXKairi fic. He just got defensive because Kairi gave him blood, and he knows that she and Sora love each other. He doesn't want them arguing because of him, which also explains why he said he threatened Kairi. Anyway, review, tell me if you think I should just give it up or not, and stick aound, there's going to be another chapter--one more, to be exact--until the end. It'll proably have to be after Thanksgiving, though, because I won't be here all day. 0 But anyway, that's that, so Review. This is Chris, signing off. XD


	4. Chapter 4

Whoohoo! Final chapter! I did it in about an hour and a half, maybe two, so you'd better like it! Review if you do or don't, or want the ending changed! Wahoo!

Love, Chris

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Sora looked sadly at his fiancée. She was staring out of the window at the cloud-ridden blue sky with a miserable expression. She had been like this for over two weeks, ever since Riku had left. Now that Kairi had told him the whole story, he almost regretted his actions, but still didn't forget that what had once been his best friend was no longer human.

The wind ruffled Kairi's hair, tousling the red tresses as they blew gently. She closed her eyes, breathing in the scent of the clean air. She wanted Riku back. She wanted to be able to talk to him again, to make him forget about the black wings protruding from his back. But as much as she watched the sky, through rain and shine, he still did not appear on the horizon. She had refused, from then on, to go anywhere, and had not left her house since then. Sora had been to see her many times, and had the feeling that she held him partly responsibly for chasing Riku away.

"What can I do?" she whispered. Sora looked at her. A tear traced down her tan cheek. "I want to see him again."

"I'm sorry, Kairi," he murmured, pulling her into a hug. She didn't respond to the embrace at all, just lying limply in his arms.

"Where could he be?" she whimpered. "He said we'd know where to find him. But I have no idea…unless he went to the island?"

"Too obvious," said Sora quickly. Kairi hesitated, then nodded cautiously "I suppose so…" she said doubtfully. Sora elaborated. "He may have _said _that we'd know where to find him, but in reality he's probably somewhere we'd never think to check. He doesn't want to be found."

"Are you sure?" she asked in a low, soft voice.

"Positive, babe," he said after a stretch, wondering if she could tell he was lying through his teeth. He was just taking advantage over her agitated state to convince her that her friend never wanted to see either of them again.

But Sora couldn't help it. He wanted to keep Kairi safe, and exposing her to that thing could mean her death. And he wasn't so sure that Riku would be thrilled to see them, anyway.

His parents, once home and making the discovery of the broken window, the blood spattered everywhere, and their son missing along with their gun, they immediately filed a missing person's report. As the days passed by, they sank deeper and deeper, convinced over time that their son had been kidnapped. Sora had barely resisted the urge to tell them that their son had actually been turned into a demon, an animal that could kill them easily if he ever came back, but Kairi had been crying hard already, so he just bit his tongue and his harsh words, choosing to comfort her instead.

"Look, babe," he said sadly, "There's nothing we can do. We can't save him at all. We're just as helpless as he is when it comes to this…condition."

She stared at him, and then determination set in, turning her eyes a steely blue. "No way in Hell am I just going to accept that," she snapped. He flinched, surprised at her sudden outburst."

"But what can you do?" he asked her softly. She was quiet for a minute, until she finally came out with, "We can find…a cure. We can cure him. We'll find a way from…I don't know, the Internet, books, research, anything…but we can't sit here and do nothing."

With that, she turned and marched out, with Sora following incredulously at her heels. They spent two days at the library, compiling a list of the various ways that their research had told them would cure a vampire. They sorted out the obviously bullshit ones, ones that they couldn't do in under three years, and ones that would be virtually impossible for them to do.

Now that they weren't talking about finding the vampire without a plan of action, Sora became much more involved, coming up with over half the material. In truth, he wanted his friend back as much as Kairi did. But he wanted his _friend, _not a demonic, undead being that would go berserk and suck the blood from their bodies. They finally finished their list, staring at it incredulously.

"One idea?" said Sora, amazed. "Two days worth of searching, and we only have one plausible idea?"

"Apparently," said Kairi, as shocked as her fiancée. "Well, it had better work, I guess. Because there won't be second chances. Now we just have to find him."

"Why don't we check the island?" said Sora without thinking. Her head whipped around to look at him sharply. "I thought you _didn't _want to look there. Because he wasn't going to _be _there," she said suspiciously. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, stuck for a good answer, before he finally blustered out an excuse with, "Well, he _did _say that we'd know where to find him…but I just didn't want you to get your hopes up, because he might not be there, and…"

"But you said," she said accusingly, "That he never wanted to see us again. You said that he wasn't in a place where we'd expect him to be. You even convinced me not to go and check!"

"But Kairi, I—"

"You lied to me!" she said loudly, "I knew it! You just don't care about Riku at all! You couldn't care less if we never found him!"

"That's not true, Kairi! I just…I just didn't want you running off…because we have no idea what condition he's in. He could be going crazy right now…and if he saw us, he might…" his voice trailed off miserably, unable to complete what he had been thinking.

"Don't you get it, Sora?" said Kairi softly. "If we don't do this for him…we'll never see him again anyway…the way he was before. That's all I want. I need to find him. If I worry about getting hurt…then I wouldn't consider myself good enough to be his friend in the first place."

Her words stung Sora, and he was silent, staring at his feet. He knew that she was right. Of course she was right. Tears sprang up in his eyes, and he nodded.

Her hand wrapped around his. "Come on," she said softly. "let's go back to our island. Let's find him."

He nodded again, scrubbing at his eyes. "Yeah," he sniffled, smiling at her. "Let's go."

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I stared off at the horizon, wondering what everyone was doing right now. Kairi was probably looking for me in town or something, and Sora was probably throwing darts at a target with my picture on it. I snickered at the thought. He could be so immature sometimes. Okay, most of the time.

Or maybe I was just being arrogant, thinking that the redhead was searching for any sign of my tainted presence. I attacked her betrothed and drank her blood. Yeah. I'm such a good friend, human or not.

In the three weeks that I had been missing, I wondered a lot about myself. Was it so hard for me to accept myself? Of course it was, I answered, when my friends don't accept me either. But I couldn't blame them. I hadn't told them, and they had to find out right when, a) I'm committing suicide, and, b) when I'm licking his fiancée's neck. Yeah, friends forever.

I had also learned how to fly much better when I got bored, which didn't happen very often. I spent most of the day wandering the island, trying to find places I had never seen before. Then I spent more time cleaning the gun. I had brought it with me just in case, and was extremely careful to keep sand and dirt out of it.

Being a vampire, I didn't sleep, but I could if I wanted to, and I did. It just felt so much more natural when I slipped into the comforting darkness of the dream world, where I was still human.

But sleeping made me hungry, and I had to slice my arm open time and time again, and the crimson tears crept out, and I hurried to drink them before they fell to the earth, where they would be soaked up instantaneously. I didn't try to catch them because I needed every drop, per se, but I didn't want to leave anything behind. I knew that there would finally arrive a day when I wasn't going to want to be here anymore. When everyone had forgotten about me. When all memories of me were scattered to the winds, blown away like scattered grains of sand. One by one, these memories would disappear, and that, I knew, was my cue. And I would leave everything behind; friends, family, and all of my own memories that I would hold on to forever—I would just put it behind me, but never forget. And I wanted no trace of me to be here when the next generation was to explore the caves that Sora and I had been going through, exploring, ever since we were little enough to walk.

My wings shuffled in the cold breeze, squeezing against my back for warmth. I still hated them with a passion. They were the only proof that I couldn't rid myself of with blood. No matter how much of the red liquid slid down my throat, they still remained. It annoyed me to no end, but I finally just accepted it.

The scrape of a boat against sand drew my attention away from my scattered thoughts, and my breath caught in my throat. Voices reached my ears, voices so familiar that I had been dreaming about them for three years. I swept from the cave, launching myself into the air with a familiar and hated rush of air. I had to grudgingly admit, though, it was a hell of a lot faster than walking.

But this was no time to think about that, I knew, as I watched Sora and Kairi walk along in the white sand. They were definitely looking for me. They were calling my name. Usually, people don't do that unless they're looking for someone. Or making sure that they weren't there so they could relax. I figured that it was the latter, as both of their gazes were wary and alert. They also kept scanning the sky, as I expected them to, and had taken precautions by landing in the tallest tree, the branches at the top hiding me from view, easily supporting my weight. I hadn't eaten anything but blood for what felt like a year, and had definitely lost a lot of weight. I hid it by keeping in shape, but I still felt a far cry from human. Which was all right, I knew, because I wasn't. I'm not.

It was when they started exploring the caves that I started getting really nervous. I couldn't remember what I had done when I lost my mind, so there may have been blood that I didn't notice before.

But what they uncovered was much, much worse.

"Kairi!" Sora yelled, and we both looked at him. In his hand was a shining black metal object that made my heart nearly stop.

"The gun!" he crowed. "I found it! He's here!"

Panicking, I dove from the tree and straight past him, snatching the gun out of his hand before he had a chance to react. I pulled out of the dive and streaked into the sky, flipping and going around to the other side of the island. I heard both of them yell my name, but I tried not to listen to their voices, trying not to remember how much I had wanted to hear those voices more than anything else in the world.

I nearly slammed myself into a palm tree as I came in for a landing way too fast, and instead I went skidding through the sand, nearly falling on my face.

I waited with bated breath, hoping that they weren't going to follow me, and also knowing that there was a good chance that they would. Instead, however, I heard the sounds of a fight.

"I can't believe you!" was Kairi, yelling. "You never wanted to find him! You just wanted to rat him out so you could kill him!"

"Well, what about you? Trying to find him so hard? You must be really desperate if you're cheating on me with a vampire!"

"Is that why you think I'm trying to find him? Because I love him? You're just overprotective! I hate you!"

The words stabbed into me as though they were directed at me. I stood, getting mad. They couldn't fight because of me. It wasn't fair—it wasn't either of their faults.

"Oh yeah?" Sora yelled, and there was a loud slap. Kairi screamed. I hurled myself into the air, beating my wings and rocketing back to where they had been before. Sora had his fist in the air, and Kairi was slumped on the ground, holding the side of her face. His hand went down, and I streamlined my body, hurrying my pace. I watched as though in slow-motion as his hand moved slowly.

And then Kairi looked at me. And I knew. I _was _watching it in slow-motion. I tried to bank and turn, but it was too late. The wings in the way made the rest of me awkward, and I could only watch as Sora whirled around and pounced on me, pinning me down on my back.

"Gotcha," he said smugly. Still, I could see the fright in his eyes. I smiled at him, and he flinched automatically.

"Come on, Sora," said Kairi, and he nodded. Grabbing me by the neck, he dragged me down the beach. I started struggling as I realized what he was doing, but I knew that if I did too much I would wind up killing him. In addition, my wings were in the way, throwing off my balance and obstructing my view. So I could only watch as he flung me into the water.

Vampires hate water. I can tell you that for sure because I am one. I could wash, sure, but stuff like the ocean and rivers and lakes? No way.

The second that the salty water touched my skin, it began burning. I yelled, trying to get out, but Sora just grabbed me hauling me out into deeper water. I heard Kairi yelling at him not to drown me, but he ignored her, I think, shoving my head under water. The pain was unimaginable, far worse than anything that I had ever experienced before. Even getting wings was nothing compared to the torture that this put me through. Every single muscle and tendon writhed like snakes, and my skin crawled. It flowed into my mouth as I screamed, burning my throat.

I thrashed about, trying to shake my friend off. With a fistful of my hair, he dragged my head up out of the water, letting me take a shallow breath, before shoving me back under.

It hurt. A lot. Agony ripped through me, and I felt sure that I was going to die. Through the pain on top came an even more direct wave, a white-hot explosion of agony. I felt myself splitting apart, as though someone were gutting me like a fish. Considering I was in the ocean, this was probably ironic. But the fiery heat didn't leave, ripping me apart from the inside out me.

A floating sensation took over my body, and the pain was dulled to a faint roar. I saw everything from above; the spiky-haired brunette, and myself, struggling vainly under the water.

'I'm dead,' I thought. 'That's it. I'm dead. He really did kill me.' I rose higher, but came into contact with something impenetrable. It would not let me through, and with a jolting sensation, I slammed back into the water.

Oddly enough, the pain was gone. The water felt cold against my skin, brushing it's pale surface delicately. I stopped struggling, content for a minute to just languish in the cool ocean water.

It only lasted a short while, though, until Sora hauled me up, inspecting me closely. "Welcome back, Riku!" he laughed finally.

"Wh-what?" I spluttered, sending seawater everywhere. Sora, in answer, patted my back. "No more scary monster," he grinned. I reached back find out what he was talking about. My fingers, instead of feeling the rough surface of my black wings, met smooth skin. I gasped, and Sora pointed up. "Look."

I saw as I gazed upwards a black shadow with strong wings. I stared at it. It looked just like…me?

"What?" I said again. Sora smiled. "Apparently, a vampire's berserk mode is caused by one of those bastards. That's the real monster right there."

"B-but…why does it look like me?"

"It's been living in your body so long that it's forgotten what else to become," Sora explained. I stared at him. "Since when did you become an expert on this subject?" I asked slyly. He hit me. "Since we went through archives and websites trying to find what the hell to do about you!" He glanced down, concerned. "Shit, you're bleeding again!" I looked down at my arms. Blood streaked down my pale skin, stinging in the salty water. I lay back, smiling serenely.

"It's all right. At least now I don't get the sudden urge to lick it up." Sora grimaced. "Lovely."

I tried to stand up, but fell over again. Sora laughed, picking me up. "You're going to be incapacitated for a while," he said. "Half of you just got up and left." I stared back up at the obsidian form of me. "What's going to happen to it?"

"It'll die in the sun. There's just a goddamn cloud in the way. Hang on a sec."

"Why doesn't it try and run away?"

"Because it's so used to having your body and your mind that it needs time to remember what the hell he is—oh, hang on. Here's the sun."

As the golden rays hit it, the creature twisted in agony, letting out a piercing shriek, its features becoming distorted and unrecognizable. I was glad. I had no desire to see myself die. Still, it was painful to watch.

"Come on, Sora. Let's go," I said softly, drawing his attention away from the thing.

Kairi waited on the beach for us. I smiled at her weakly, my arm around Sora's shoulders. She hugged me, obviously relieved.

"Thank you," I said quietly. They both grinned at me.

"But…there's probably something we should tell you about," said Kairi slowly, and Sora nodded in agreement. "What?" I said, dreading the answer.

"Well…you have a tattoo now. Kind of."

"What?"

"It gets branded into those who were vampires. Just black wings, like you had. But not so…flappy. Or big."

I laughed. "You were worried about telling me _that?" _I said incredulously. "Hey. You could have tattooed a squirrel on my ass and I wouldn't care less, as long as those damn wings are off somewhere else.

They laughed with me, and it was just the three of us in that one moment in time, the three of us laughing as all of our worries blew away like grains of sand in the wind.

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There! Done! I hope you like it, and if you do, review! If not, like, say, you have a problem with the ending, tell me anyways! Yaay!

PS I love vampires. Like, a lot. XD


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